Dems slam Hogan on jobs center, but Obama may be to blame

Dems slam Hogan on jobs center, but Obama may be to blame

President Obama sign with Marylanders Steny Hoyer, the House minority whip, and Tom Perez, the labor secretary at the far left. From the WIOA website

By Len Lazarick

Len@MarylandReporter.com

President Obama sign with Marylanders Steny Hoyer, the House minority whip, and Tom Perez, the labor secretary at the far left. From the WIOA website

President Obama signs WIOA with Marylanders Steny Hoyer, the House minority whip, and Tom Perez, the labor secretary at the far left. From the WIOA website

 

From the Facebook page of Maryland Department of Labor Licensing and Regulation.

From the Facebook page of Maryland Department of Labor Licensing and Regulation.

 

The Maryland Democratic Party slammed Republican Gov. Larry Hogan late Thursday for closing one of three Career Centers in Baltimore as of Friday. But they appear to have been pointing their fingers at the wrong people, since President Obama and Congress may be to blame.

An email from the Democrats noted that on Tuesday, “the Maryland Department of Labor Licensing and Regulation posted an “FYI” on its Facebook page that the Baltimore Career Center on Eutaw Street will be closing on November 13, 2015.” Maryland Democratic Party Executive Director Pat Murray came out swinging.

“When Larry Hogan promised a better future for Baltimore, he didn’t say one of his innovative ideas was to eliminate services that connect Baltimore City residents to jobs,” Murray said in the email. “Larry Hogan isn’t holding a press conference to announce this closure because he hoped no one would catch him taking an important part out of Maryland’s economic engine. Public education, transit and now workforce development cuts are all ways Larry Hogan is shortchanging Baltimore.”

Asked about the email, Summar Goodman, deputy director of communications at DLLR, the state labor department, responded: “The new WIOA law which went into effect on July 1st requires state staff to be co-located with local partners within the American Job Centers to better assist the customers and to provide a full range of services. The Eutaw Street staff will be relocated to both the Mondawmin and Eastside American Job Centers to be compliant with the law.”

A quick Google search found that WIOA is the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act,” passed with bipartisan majorities in Congress. On the WIOA website, there’s a video from Maryland’s own Tom Perez, the U.S. labor secretary and former head of DLLR praising the new law, along with Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

About The Author

Len Lazarick

len@marylandreporter.com

Len Lazarick was the founding editor and publisher of MarylandReporter.com and is currently the president of its nonprofit corporation and chairman of its board He was formerly the State House bureau chief of the daily Baltimore Examiner from its start in April 2006 to its demise in February 2009. He was a copy editor on the national desk of the Washington Post for eight years before that, and has spent decades covering Maryland politics and government.

3 Comments

  1. Dale McNamee

    The radical, Progressive, Democrats should look in the mirror as to the employment situation..

    They could have made Maryland more “business friendly”, but didn’t… They could have cut taxes… but didn’t… They could have cut regulaltions… but didn’t…

    They deserved what they created and got…

  2. J D

    Soon a new riot in Charm City. Blame the balded headed Governor this time unlike blaming the Police.

    • bendix20

      Funny, I would think they would be celebrating because it seems like work is something they avoid at all costs.